Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

BERLIN, July 5 (Reuters) - A rising number of Germans are not showing up for COVID-19 vaccination appointments, prompting calls for fines to be imposed as Germany races to get shots in arms to counter the rapid spread of the more infectious Delta variant.

Mario Czaja, head of the Berlin Red Cross, said 5%-10% of people were skipping appointments at the city's vaccination centres - with second doses particularly affected - up from a no-show rate of less than 0.5% at the start of the year.

With around 15,000 vaccinations planned per day at the centres, the number of wasted appointments is having a "massive effect on Berlin's vaccination coverage", Czaja told Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday.

"We need the free slots. We are still not out of the woods and we can't afford to be negligent," he said, urging people to cancel their appointments if they managed to get a second dose earlier elsewhere.

Despite the missed appointments, Czaja said the centres have not had to discard vaccines as, once thawed, they can be stored for three to four days in fridges.

People might be skipping second shots because they have been vaccinated by their family or company doctor, or may be on holiday, Christian Fuellers, medical director of a vaccination centre in North Rhine-Westphalia, told ARD television.

Young men in particular also appear to think getting one dose will be sufficient, he added.

Whatever the reasons, no-shows pose a headache to Germany's plan to speed up vaccinations to try and get ahead of the more contagious Delta variant, now responsible for half of German coronavirus cases and expected to dominate later this month.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants Germany to achieve a vaccination rate of 80%, a participant in a meeting of her party's executive committee told Reuters.

Around 39% of Germans have now received the recommended two shots, while 56.5% has had at least one dose.

Germany, Europe's most populous country and largest economy, is expected to receive a bumper delivery of 7.65 million doses this week, according to Health Ministry data, of which 4.95 million are destined for its vaccination centres.

But the seven-day daily average of administered shots slumped last week to 701,998 per day, down almost 18% on the daily average seen in the second week of June.

Czaja has suggested that a fine of between 25-30 euros ($30-36) be levied on those who miss appointments. But others have warned that such action could be counterproductive.

"Instead of thinking about penalties, we should think about what we can do to keep vaccinations up," Reinhard Sager, president of the German Association of Districts, told Die Welt.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday penalties for vaccination no-shows were not envisaged.

Elsewhere, countries from the United States to Russia have introduced incentives, such as cash or the opportunity to win a car or an apartment, to try to boost vaccine take-up. Some Russian regions have also introduced compulsory vaccination for some workers. read more

($1 = 0.8424 euros)

Reporting by Caroline CopleyAdditional reporting by Andreas Rinke

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Germany worried about COVID-19 vaccination 'no shows' - Reuters

KINGSPORT, Tenn.As the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. stalls, health officials have embarked on a painstaking effort to get shots to undecided or isolated Americans.

That often requires bringing vaccines directly to the unvaccinated and talking to them one by one. Health officials are using pop-up and mobile clinics and financial incentives. And they are turning to community leaders to make introductions to the skeptical.

Pastor Barry Braan Jr. was doing just that kind of outreach last month at a Juneteenth festival in northeastern Tennessee, where two pop-up vaccination stations were set up amid the food trucks and face-painting stalls.

A few months earlier, Mr. Braan himself had been reluctant to get vaccinated. He had recovered from a bout with Covid-19, he said, and he was skeptical reliable vaccines could have been developed so quickly. A conversation with a local health official helped change his mind, and now he wants to do the same for others.

Having those one-on-one conversations that address their individual concerns are paramount, he said. Getting to a place where you can do that, Im finding difficult.

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Covid-19 Vaccination Drive Reaches Frustration StagePersuading the Hesitant - The Wall Street Journal

After being vaccinated against COVID-19, many people have reported unusual symptoms like swollen lymph nodes, COVID arm and blood clots. Understandably, these symptoms can be quite startling and concerning since many of us have never experienced them before. Some of the side effects reported are believed to be associated with your bodys immune response to the vaccine. But what about the reports of altered menstrual cycles after vaccination?

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While women across the country have noticed changes in their periods shortly after vaccination, there currently is no concrete evidence that COVID-19 vaccines can have a direct effect on womens menstrual cycles. Instead, these changes may be associated with the bodys response to stress.

Ob/Gyn George Fyffe, MD, FACOGshares his insights about why this is happening and gives some helpful tips to help women manage the effects of stress.

We might not realize that theres a connection between the uterus and the immune system, but there is one. Dr. Fyffe says that as a woman is about to ovulate, her immune system ramps itself up to prevent any infectious agents from interfering with the fertilization and implantation of the egg. Once the egg is fertilized and implants, the immune system dampens to accept the pregnancy.

Dr. Fyffe adds that the lining of the uterus also has immune cells, and those cells can be affected by hormonal changes. Uterine infections can also cause changes in a womans normal menstrual cycle.

The hypothalamus in the brain is the hormonal control center that works in conjunction with the anterior pituitary gland. Together, messages in the form of hormones are sent to the ovaries and the uterus to increase or decrease hormone levels to facilitate ovulation, pregnancy and the return of the menstrual cycle if fertilization doesnt occur. Emotional stress, physical stress, and chemical stress may affect the hormonal control center which can result in menstrual cycle changes.

Chemical stress applies to medications that can alter your period.

Women who are taking medications for seizure disorders, diabetes, thyroid conditions, hypertension, depression or other conditions might notice irregularities with their menstrual cycles. These medications can interfere with the hormones that are responsible for menstruation. Some may even cause loss of menstruation, says Dr. Fyffe.

Your healthcare provider can determine the best way to manage the disruption in your menstrual cycle. Dr. Fyffe says that its good to discuss any changes with your healthcare provider because theyll be aware of whats going on and you can work together to determine the best course of action.

Shared decision making between the provider and the patient will aid in determining and managing your bodys hormonal changes.

According to Dr. Fyffe, stress can increase your cortisol levels. Too much cortisol can lead to inflammation as well as a variety of physical and mental health issues.

Chronic stress can affect your bodys normal cortisol production rhythm. An overabundance of cortisol can affect your metabolism, which can lead to obesity. It can also lead to sleep disturbances as well as changes in menstruation.

According to Dr. Fyffe, three things that may promote health are exercise, rest and a healthy diet.

Exercise provides many benefits for your body. It can help your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels, it can help with weight management, it reduces your risk for heart disease and improves your mental health and well-being. Dr. Fyffe adds that in addition to stress, the pandemic has caused more of us to adopt a sedentary lifestyle. So by increasing exercise, you can lessen the effects of stress on the body.

While everyone has different schedules and obligations, Dr. Fyffe recommends getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Sleep disturbances and/or inadequate periods of rest, can affect your hormones and subsequently, your menstrual cycle.

Aim for a balanced diet which should include adequate levels of carbohydrates, proteins, low-fat, low-sugar, and iron-rich foods. And remember that when you eat too much or dont eat enough, it can affect your menstrual cycle. Also, make sure that youre drinking enough water. The recommended daily amount of water is 64 fluid ounces.

Dr. Fyffe says that a lot of factors in our environment can add to our stress. These things can influence our diet, sleep schedule, and medication regimen.

Do you have a child or a parent whos sick, or are you getting home late at night and not sleeping well? All of that can significantly affect your menstrual cycle. Just the idea of being so busy, not eating well, not getting enough sleep all those things can affect your brain. Another thing to think about is that were social animals. Before the pandemic, we all had routines. On the weekends, you would go see the people you care about. The pandemic took a lot of those social interactions away. So, when a lot of the things that we used to take for granted were taken from us, we probably didnt realize the impact that it would have on our minds and bodies.

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Will a COVID-19 Vaccine Throw Your Period Off? - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

All Deaconess employees will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by the start of October 2021, a letter sent to employees on Thursday by Deaconess administration confirms.

"We are confident in the science behind the available vaccines, as well as their safety and efficacy. We also believe that vaccination is ultimately the only viable path to keeping staff and patients safe from COVID-19 and ending the pandemic," the letter sent to Deaconess employees says. "For those reasons, all Deaconess employees are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by October 1, 2021."

The letter says that Deaconess expects the COVID-19 vaccines to receive full FDA approval by the end of August, allowing employees enough time to get vaccinated by the Oct. 1, 2021 deadline.

Deaconess said in its letter that if the approval is delayed, the Oct. 1 deadline will be extended to allow for full FDA approval of the vaccines.

According to Deaconess, the health system's current vaccine exemption policy will be followed in regard to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate - allowing employees to fill out a "vaccine declination form" for religious reasons, health reasons, or other reasons, as laid out by the current policy.

In the letter, Deaconess said that it was attempting to address concerns and anxieties about getting the COVID-19 vaccine shared by many of its employees.

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Deaconess Requiring All Employees to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine by October - WEVV

One of the main factors driving differences in COVID-19 vaccination rates across the country is partisanship. Our surveys consistently find that Democrats are much more likely to report having been vaccinated than Republicans, and Republicans are much more likely to say that they definitely do not want to get vaccinated. In May, just as vaccine supply was starting to outstrip demand, we examined average vaccination rates by county and found that rates were lower in counties that voted for Trump in the 2020 Presidential election compared to those that voted for Biden. Now, two months later, we find that not only does this remain the case, the gap has grown.

We obtained data on the share of the population fully vaccinated by county from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC)COVID-19 Integrated County View and data on the 2020 Presidential election results by county from here (for more detailed methods, see: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/vaccination-is-local-covid-19-vaccination-rates-vary-by-county-and-key-characteristics/). To create a longer time series, we also looked at vaccination rates in April 2021.

While the share of the total population that is fully vaccinated has increased for both county groups, it has increased faster in counties that voted for Biden, resulting in a widening gap. Three months ago, as of April 22, the average vaccination rate in counties that voted for Trump was 20.6% compared to 22.8% in Biden counties, yielding a relatively small gap of 2.2 percentage points. By May 11, the gap had increased to 6.5% and by July 6, 11.7%, with the average vaccination rate in Trump counties at 35% compared to 46.7% in Biden counties. See Figures 1 and 2.

Although there has been an overall significant slow-down in COVID-19 vaccination rates in the U.S., these findings show a widening divide of communities at risk for COVID-19 along partisan lines. A key component of any effort to boost vaccination rates among Republicans will be identifying the right messengers. According to our Vaccine Monitor, which tracks the publics attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations, Republicans are most likely to trust their doctors and employers to provide reliable information on COVID-19 vaccines, while government sources are less trusted. Going forward, efforts that focus on these messengers, including President Bidens recent announcement to augment vaccination distribution through doctors offices, may help, but there is a hardcore group of vaccine resisters who are disproportionately Republican and will be difficult to move.

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The Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates is Growing - Kaiser Family Foundation

Pfizer is about to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its Covid-19 vaccine, saying Thursday that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off the latest worrisome coronavirus mutant.

Research from multiple countries shows the Pfizer shot and other widely used Covid-19 vaccines offer strong protection against the highly contagious Delta variant, which is spreading rapidly around the world and now accounts for most new U.S. infections.

Two doses of most vaccines are critical to develop high levels of virus-fighting antibodies against all versions of the coronavirus, not just the Delta variant and most of the world still is desperate to get those initial protective doses as the pandemic continues to rage.

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But antibodies naturally wane over time, so studies also are underway to tell if and when boosters might be needed.

On Thursday, Pfizers Mikael Dolsten told the Associated Press that early data from the companys booster study suggests peoples antibody levels jump five- to 10-fold after a third dose, compared to their second dose months earlier.

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In August, Pfizer plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization of a third dose, he said.

Why might that matter for fighting the Delta variant? Dolsten pointed to data from Britain and Israel showing the Pfizer vaccine neutralizes the Delta variant very well. The assumption, he said, is that when antibodies drop low enough, the Delta virus eventually could cause a mild infection before the immune system kicks back in.

But FDA authorization would be just a first step it wouldnt automatically mean Americans get offered boosters, cautioned William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Public health authorities would have to decide if theyre really needed, especially since millions of people have no protection.

The vaccines were designed to keep us out of the hospital and continue to do so despite the more contagious Delta variant, he said. Giving another dose would be a huge effort while we are at the moment striving to get people the first dose.

Hours after Pfizers announcement, U.S. health officials issued a statement saying fully vaccinated Americans dont need a booster yet.

U.S. health agencies are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary, the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement. That work will include data from the drug companies, but does not rely on those data exclusively, and any decision on booster shots would happen only when the science demonstrates that they are needed, the agencies said.

Currently only about 48% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated and some parts of the country have far lower immunization rates, places where the Delta variant is surging. On Thursday, Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said thats leading to two truths highly immunized swaths of America are getting back to normal while hospitalizations are rising in other places.

This rapid rise is troubling, she said: A few weeks ago the Delta variant accounted for just over a quarter of new U.S. cases, but it now accounts for just over 50% and in some places, such as parts of the Midwest, as much as 80%.

Also Thursday, researchers from Frances Pasteur Institute reported new evidence that full vaccination is critical.

In laboratory tests, blood from several dozen people given their first dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines barely inhibited the Delta variant, the team reported in the journal Nature. But weeks after getting their second dose, nearly all had what researchers deemed an immune boost strong enough to neutralize the Delta variant even if it was a little less potent than against earlier versions of the virus.

The French researchers also tested unvaccinated people who had survived a bout of the coronavirus, and found their antibodies were four-fold less potent against the new mutant. But a single vaccine dose dramatically boosted their antibody levels sparking cross-protection against the Delta variant and two other mutants, the study found. That supports public health recommendations that Covid-19 survivors get vaccinated rather than relying on natural immunity.

The lab experiments add to real-world data that the Delta variants mutations arent evading the vaccines most widely used in Western countries, but underscore that its crucial to get more of the world immunized before the virus evolves even more.

Researchers in Britain found two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, for example, are 96% protective against hospitalization with the Delta variant and 88% effective against symptomatic infection. That finding was echoed last weekend by Canadian researchers, while a report from Israel suggested protection against mild Delta infection may have dipped lower, to 64%.

Whether the fully vaccinated still need to wear masks in places where the Delta variant is surging is a growing question. In the U.S., the CDC maintains that fully vaccinated people dont need to. Even before the Delta variant came along, the vaccines werent perfect, but the best evidence suggests that if vaccinated people nonetheless get the coronavirus, theyll have much milder cases.

Let me emphasize, if you were vaccinated, you have a very high degree of protection, Anthony Fauci, the U.S. governments top infectious disease expert, said Thursday.

In the U.S., case rates have been rising for weeks and the rate of hospitalizations has started to tick up, rising 7% from the previous seven-day average, Walensky told reporters Thursday. However, deaths remain down on average, which some experts believe is at least partly due to high vaccination rates in people 65 and older who are among the most susceptible to severe disease.

Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe contributed to this story. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Pfizer to seek authorization for booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine - STAT - STAT

ATLANTA (KNWA/KFTA) In April, more than half of adolescents and parents of adolescents reported they would get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) released on Friday, July 9.

The report states it is important to communicate the benefits and safety of the vaccine.

Efforts focusing on clearly communicating to the public the benefits and safety of COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents, particularly by health care professionals, could help increase confidence in adolescent COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination coverage, the CDC stated.

On May 10, 2021, Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for adolescents from 12 to 15 years of age.

The MMWR reports that parents of unvaccinated adolescents and unvaccinated adolescents reported feeling most comfortable with vaccination occurring at the adolescents usual doctors office or clinic, 66.6%, and 76.5%, respectively.

The nonprobability-based surveys, done prior to the expanded availability of the vaccine, showed approximately one half of unvaccinated adolescents and parents of unvaccinated adolescents reported not intending for or being uncertain about whether the adolescent would receive a COVID-19 vaccination, according to the report. Those with lower vaccine intentions were female parents, lower educational attainment, and residents of Midwest of South Census regions.

As of July 6, approximately 8.3 million adolescents, 12-17 years of age, had received one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to the CDC.

Governor Asa Hutchinson will hold COVID Community Conversations in Batesville, Blytheville, the Forrest City/Marianna area, and Texarkana.In Arkansas, we have chosen the path of personal responsibility. The state is wide open. We arent mandating masks or vaccinations. We know what we must do, and for the most part, Arkansans have done the hard work. The big task before us now is to vaccinate more Arkansans, said Hutchinson.

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CDC: acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine among adolescents and parents of adolescents - KNWA

Ohio State will offer $50,000 in gift cards, football tickets and parking passes to Buckeyes who have been vaccinated starting the week of Aug. 2. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

Ohio State will now offer incentives for students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated in hopes of exceeding a 65 percent vaccination rate before the fall semester begins, University President Kristina M. Johnson announced in a universitywide email Friday.

The university will award $50,000 in gift cards, football tickets and parking passes to Buckeyes who have been vaccinated and reported it to the university starting Aug. 2, according to the email. The prizes will be awarded through a random weekly drawing.

Dont wait: The sooner you are vaccinated, the sooner you will enjoy the protections of the vaccines and the opportunity to win prizes for doing so, Johnson said in the email.

Individuals who are not yet vaccinated can learn more about vaccination sites on the Safe and Healthy Buckeyes website.

Eligibility for these prizes will require students to report their vaccination status to the university through My BuckMD, Johnson said. The university will share more information about entering and contest rules before the first drawing.

Melissa Shivers, senior vice president for Student Life, said June 2 the university will consider removing COVID-19 guidelines if it reaches the target 70-80 percent vaccination rate and aligns with Ohio Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.

Ohio State is not requiring students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated but encourages it, Shivers said.

According to the Wexner Medical Centers website, Ohio State administers vaccines at four locations Same-Day Care Outpatient Care East facility, Outpatient Care facility in Upper Arlington, University Health McCampbell Outpatient Care and Jesse Owens North Recreation Center either through walk-ins or by appointment.

Individuals can schedule vaccine appointments on the MyChart website.

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Ohio State to offer incentives for COVID-19 vaccinations - OSU - The Lantern

With three of the Treasure Valley's healthcare providers now requiring staff and employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, many are wondering if its legal.

BOISE, Idaho On Thursday, three of Idaho's biggest healthcare providers announced that they were going to begin requiring their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Some claimed on social media that vaccine requirements for workers are illegal. However, in Idaho, they aren't.

In December, KTVB spoke with Dan Williams, a local lawyer who specializes in employment law, and he said a business can almost always require vaccinations for employees.

"Now, let's be clear what we're talking about, your boss can't hold you down while somebody shoots you with a vaccine, but as a condition of continued employment, employers can require vaccinations of their employees to maintain a safe workplace for themselves and for the public," Williams explained.

No law, on the state or federal level, can prevent companies from asking their employees to provide proof of vaccination. Asking for vaccination records isn't a violation of HIPPA either, since that only covers what a provider can share with others.

Employees may file for an exemption based on religious or medical conditions and are entitled to an accommodation, but only one that doesn't put any undue hardship on the employer.

However, in April, Idaho Governor Brad Little issued an executive order that would prevent local and state government entities from requiring "vaccine passports." The order would prevent agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles from forcing people to get vaccinated in order to renew their driver's license.

Idaho is an "employment at will" state, meaning that the employee/employer relationship can be terminated at any time, for any reason, unless there's already a law in place to prevent that from happening.

At KTVB, were focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: http://www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.

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Can employees be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho? - KTVB.com

Jim Justice, the Mountain State's governor, switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party in August 2017 -- announcing the move at a rally for Trump in the state."Today I will tell you as West Virginians, I can't help you anymore being a Democrat governor," Justice said at the rally. "So tomorrow, I will be changing my registration to Republican."

None of that would have predicted this: Justice has been one of the leading voices pushing for vaccinations of his citizens.

This isn't the first time that Justice has broken with his Party when it comes to dealing with the pandemic.

Back in February, Justice spoke out -- on CNN among other media outlets -- about his belief that Congress needed to "go big" with its coronavirus stimulus package. (West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin's vote to pass the $1.9 trillion measure via budget reconciliation shortly after the Justice public prodding.)

The Point: Justice is way beyond political concerns at this point in his term -- and his life. Which allows him, at least in regard Covid-19 vaccinations, to simply do the right thing.

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A *very* unlikely leader of the Covid-19 vaccine push - CNN